A well known drawback of a domestic countertop microwave oven is that it takes up a significant amount of the available countertop space. In fact, many homes simply do not have enough counter space to accommodate a microwave oven large enough to cook a meal. Some ways to solve this problem are to use a stand or other furniture for separately supporting the microwave oven, or for the domestic user to purchase a countertop microwave oven that is to small that it will only hold a cup of soup or similar small items. Some manufacturers have had great success in selling microwave ovens that mount underneath an overhead cabinet such that they are suspended above the counter or a range. Generally, these cabinet mounted microwave ovens are smaller than full size, are somewhat difficult to access, detract from the usefulness of the counter space underneath them, and are considered by some to give a cluttered appearance. Further, with many other appliances such as can openers, toasters, etc. being mounted underneath the overhead cabinets, there is now even competition for this space as well.
A small countertop microwave oven seen in some countries, such as Japan, is the dome microwave oven. The dome oven typically includes a base member having a microwave energy generator disposed therein and operating controls along the front edge. A dome-shaped cover is attached to the base via a rear hinge member. Sometimes the base member must be steadied with one hand while the dome is opened with another hand. Venting of this oven has been found to be difficult. Vent holes cannot be placed in the dome because foreign objects such as metal wires could either accidentally or purposefully be inserted into the cavity, thus resulting in leakage of microwave energy. Further if vent holes are positioned in the base member, they would tend to become clogged with spilled food. The dome cover requires bending material along several axes during manufacture, and thus is expensive to fabricate. The Cook Capsule RE-1 sold by Sharp Company is a dome microwave oven.
Conventional thermal ovens are typically mounted below the countertop level in either a free standing or built-in arrangement. Also, some of these thermal ovens have the capability of simultaneously cooking with microwave energy; they have been referred to as common cavity or combination ovens. These ovens generally have a bottom hinged door that opens downwardly.